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I. P. LINTON.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22,1917.

1,319,230. Patented 001.2119111.

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@MV per FIHzI-ney JOHN' P. LINTON, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

` Patented octal, 1919.

Application led October 22, 1917. Serial No. 197,894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHN P. LINToN, of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sprinklers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

f Y mo-disruptive automatic sprinkler heads by My invention relates particularly to therwhich a cap controlling the flow of water is held closed, and relates more particularly to the duck-bill type the members of which have a disruptive tendency imparted thereto by the particular construction and arrangement .of the parts which are held against disruption at ordinary atmospheric temperature by fusible solder adapted to run at a predetermined temperature higher than usual atmospheric.

The object of my invention is to provide a thermo-disruptive member for an automatic sprinkler head of this type comprising a pair of parts soldered together one of such parts being of such thickness to present necessary rigidity with an exposed side which 1 is at and smooth and the other part being relatively thin in order to permit rapid penetration by abnormal heat, this thm member being of greater length than the rigid member and having its free end curved to present a lip in alinement with the flat smooth side of the thick member and a thin, flat, uncut key soldered to the last mentioned side of the thick member and engaging the lip, the thick member affording Jfacility for the key to fulcrum freely upon its end when the member is disrupted and thereby secure an effective release of the parts. In order to increase the strength of the union between the two parts of the member at normal temperatures the contacting sides ofthe thin and thick members are corrugated to present an extent of contacting surface greater than the distance between the'ends thereof.

Another important .feature of the invention consists in the specific construction and particular arrangement of the parts as above mentioned and rendered instantaneous in not fuse uniformly owing to `their different bulk, the heavier masses taking momentarily longer. The effectv is that all parts united by the solder films are released ready for separation and, in this condition, awalt the fusing and release of.- the relatively larger masses. Inthis way, in the particular em bodiment of my invention hereinafter speciically described, the key is held in place and 1s made to, in turn, hold all parts yin place shutting oif the water Vuntil the exact instantwhen the larger masses are overcome by the heat and fuse.

At this instant the head bursts and all the parts, both bills, key i and cap areL thrown clear of the nozzle. F orfull comprehension, however, of my mventlon, reference must be had to the' accompanying drawings in which similar reft, erence characters indicate the same parts,

and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved sprinkler head.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the head on line 2-2 Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a similar view Ato Fig. 2 showing the strut disrupted; Y

Figs. 4 and 5, 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 are detail `plan views and end elevations respecfy tively, of the top bill, bottom bill andkey i integrally therewithV and has a hub -5 in which the screw-threaded stem 6 of a deiector 7 1s screwed, while the mouth 8 of the nozzle constitutes a valve-seat upon whichjthe `closing cap 9 is held under pres-` sure exerted by the stem of the deiector and the disruptive strut, this pressure producing a tendency in the strutto disrupt.V This disruptive strut, according to my invention, comprises apair of members presenting vtop'and bottom bills 25 and 26 respectively, lying in contact with each other and having thelr contacting faces of transversely corrugated or saw-toothed longitudinal cross-section as at 27 thus presenting a bearing area of considerably greater dimentions than the distance in a` straight line between the extremities ofthese faces. Y The bottom member is comparatively thick to give strength to the joint whereas thel top memberV is quite thin `for the purpose of facilitating the penetration -of the heat to the solder connection betweenthemembers when a rise vin temperature occurs. VThe ybottom bill or member terminates at end oi its corrugated face where it is cut off as at l0 to present a fulcrum shoulder 110 to be presently more particularly alluded to; while the end of the top bill or member is projected and curved downwardly as at 2S and turned under to present a shallow lip 29 substantially in a'linement with the under-face of the bottom bill. A Vkey 30 is adapted to lie fiat upon this under-face of the bottom bill which is planed smooth for the purpose, and the key is of sutlicient length to project beyond the shoulder 10 and engage the lip 29, while this underside has a pair of pits .31 with which engage a pair of diminutive bosses 32 on the key.

The relation of these parts is such that when the key lies flat upon the underside of the bottom bill with its end in engagement with lip 29 the members of the strut are in proper bearing relation. These parts are secured in this position by fusible solder with which a fusible joint is formed between the corrugated engaging faces; the space inclosed between the end of the bot-tom bill, the curved end of the top bill and the end of the key is also filled with the solder, the opposite end of the key and the face bearing upon the bottom bill, and the face of the latter, are similarly joined with solder.

In order to increase the area and resultant holding power of the solder the corrugated or serrated portions of the bills are extended in width as shown in Figs. 4 and G and each bill is stiffened, the top bill owing to its thinness by a rib 35 extending throughout the length thereof and around the turneddown end 2S and the bottom bill by a web 3G.

The connection between the stem of the deiiector 'and the valve cap is effected through this strut by tne inner ends of its membersl presenting inter-engaging off-centered compression devices by being provided with oppositely pointing feet 40 and 4l respectively, the heels of which are of extended width as at 42 and 48, and engage in pivotal relation by means of a rib 45 on heel 42 and groove46 in heel 43 and serving as a seat for the rib. The portions of the members contiguous to these feet are recessed as at 37 to jointly present an aperture 3S to give access toy atmospheric heat to the inner end of the corrugated solder joint. The toes of these feet are in the form of conical bosses 50 and 51 respectively, the apices being adapted to be seated in sockets 55 and 5G in the stem and cap 9, respectively.

The engaging rib 45 and seat 46 are oilset in the direction of the bills from the line of theV apices 50 and 51 for the purpose of causing pressure exerted on the points to be transmitted to t-he members of the strut and converted .into a disruptive tendency.

To set my improved sprinkler head, the

` Y strut with its members and key soldered together, as described, is placed inI position v of the strut suiliciently to impart necessary tension to the strut after which a locking pin 60 is driven through the hub 5 of the spring-yoke into the stem 6 When an abnormal temperature reaching the danger point acts upon the strut and while the film-like solder between thebills and between the key and thick bill is first to run the greater mass of solder at l0 and at the opposite end of the-key has the effect of holding all thel parts until they are in perfect condition to separate. Immediately the greater masses of solder are fused and run from the inclosure at the point l() and from the opposite end of the key, the bills instantaneously open. Simultaneously with the first relative movement of the bills, in an upward direction by the top bill and a downward direction by the bottom bill, the lip 29 presses upwardly on the end of the key causing it to fulcrum on the shoulder presented by the end of the bottom bill and the key is promptly thrown oft'. In this manner my improved strut is instantaneously and completely disrupted, in other words all its parts bursts away from the nozzle im- 'mediately all the fusible solder runs.

The advantage of this construction over other sprinkler heads in use is that the increased area of the solder joint presented by the corrugated faces gives maximum holding strength and permits the top bill to be very thin, while the particular arrangement of t-he lipped overhanging top bill and the sharp land comparatively deep fulcrum shoulder 110, presented by the sheared-oif end of the bottom bill exerts considerable leverage on the key, which, when the solder is fused thereby pries off the key and makes its release and throw-olf absolutely certain.

Another advantage of this particular ar-n rangement of parts is that'practically the entire key is subject to the heat of any fire it is the intention to extinguish through the medium of this sprinkler head owing to the fact that the key is practically entirely on the underside of the bills.

Another advantacre of my particular combination of' bills and key is that the disruptive load exerted by the compressivev forces in the head is almost altogether relieved v flat smooth underside constituting a solder face such bills having integral comparatively short interengaging parts presenting solder faces of relatively increased area; a thin flat uncut key lying in contact with the flat smooth underside of the relatively massive `bill and projecting beyond one end thereof into engagement with the lip.

2. In a sprinkler head the combination with a yoke, a nozzle, a cap closing the nozzle, and pressure means rarried by the yoke in axial alinement with the nozzle, of a disruptive strut, having a relatively long horizontal member consisting of a thin top bill with downwardly curved lip at one end and a relatively massive bottom bill having a flat smooth underside constituting a solder face such bills having integral comparatively short interengaging parts presenting solder faces of relatively increased area; a thin flat uncut key lying in contact with the flat smooth underside of the relatively massive bill and projecting beyond one end thereof into engagement with the lip; films of solder joining together the solder faces of the bills and the key to the bottom bill, and relatively greater masses of solder joining the ends of the key in place.

3. In a sprinkler head the combination with a yoke, a nozzle, a cap closing the nozzle and pressure means carried by the yoke in axial alinement with the nozzle, of a disruptive strut, having a relatively long horizontal member consisting of a thin top bill with downwardly curved lip at one end and a relatively massive bottom bill having a flat smooth underside constituting a solder face, such bills having integral comparatively short interengaging parts presenting solder faces of relatively increased area; a thin flat uncut key lying in contact with the flat smooth underside of the relatively massive bill and projecting beyond one end thereof (iopies o1' this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by Yaddressing the Commissioner of Patents.

into engagement with the lip, the bills havl ing oppositely pointing feet With pointed toes seated in the cap and pressure means, and heels offset relatively to the axial plane of the pointed toes, the heels being of relatively diminutive width in the direction of the bills substantially as described and for the purpose set forth. Y

4. In a sprinkler head the combinatio with a yoke, a nozzle, a cap closing the nozzle and pressure means carried by the yoke in axial alinementwith the nozzle, of a disruptive strut, having a relatively long horizontal member consisting of a thin top bill with downwardly curved lip at one end and a relatively massive bottom bill having a flat smooth solder face on its underside such bills having integral comparatively short interengaging parts presenting solder faces of relatively increased area, a thin flat uncut key lying in contact with the fiat smooth' underside of the relatively massive bill and projecting beyond one end thereof into engagement with the lip; films of solder joining together the solder faces of the bills and the key to the bottom bill, and relatively greater masses of solder joining the ends of the key in place; the bills having oppositely pointing feet with pointed toes seated in the cap and pressure means and heels oset relatively to the axial plane of the pointed toes, the' heels being Y of relatively diminutive width in the direction of the ills substantially as described and for the purposes Vset forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses. Y

JOHN r, LINToN.

Washington, D. C. 

